North Field

Amelia helped Flora get ready for the day. She had helped with dressing Flora in a thick dress and long stockings to keep her warm when she went out to the North field. Specifically, Flora had asked for a tight braid to clutch her scalp from the front to the back in case she needed to move a lot. Amelia finished off her morning routine with a light amount of makeup, and a pair of simple stud earrings. Flora had told her to make her look nice, but as plain as possible. She didn't want to look like she was trying to show off or that she was vying for the prince's attention.

Politely, one of the servants had knocked on the door and entered before bowing. Flora didn't know if it was Ana or Staci, since she had yet to figure out which one was which. "I have come to tidy up the room your highness. Is there anything else that you will require of me?" Her voice was dim as ever, making it hard for Flora to find out anything about her.

"Yes, I would l like for something small and portable for breakfast and directions to the North field." Flora tried to speak as ambiguously as possible, but a shift in the woman's eyes indicated she probably knew why Flora wanted to go there. The servant sketched a bow and disappeared again before returning with her sister. One of them plopped down a cloth-wrapped pastry and the other handed her a note with directions scribbled on it.

Before the women could say anything else, Flora started off towards the North field, hastily munching on the pastry she was given. She almost groaned out loud at the delectable taste of the confection. It had been forever since she had been able to enjoy something so deliciously sweet, and she was willing to savor every bite. Flora squinted down at the directions, a bit bewildered. It was a good thing that she had left early, because it would probably take a lot of trial and error to get to her destination.

After about an hour of cursing the horrible directions and asking random servants passing by for help, Flora finally found her way to the North entrance to the palace. Like the exit by Hyacinth's green house, there were two large glass doors heading out to a sprawling courtyard. It was similarly decorated, but there was far less effort put into the display. Most of the path was laid with a single type of stone, and there were more bushes lining the path. None of the beautiful statues that were in the previous courtyard existed here, nor were there any benches to rest.

Past the winterized garden, there was a path leading out to a building built out of a pale stone, not the black rock from the mountain. Further down, there was a large field covered with soldiers exercising. At least Hyacinth had been right, the soldiers did train out here in the North field. She had yet to see Prince Andrei's form among the many men training as she past the building and walked up to the pitch.

A wave of regret rushed over her as she came to the edge of the field. Why did she think it was a good idea to follow a ten-year-old's advice? Her self-esteem plummeted as she thought of how pathetic she must look, standing alone while a bunch of brutish men ignored her. Maybe she should go back to her rooms and train instead of finding that arrogant prince. Flora made to turn back, but her last bit of resolve pushed her not to. She had to find a way to get on the prince's good side. There was no room for failure here.

Surveying the training field, Flora could not tell one man from the next. Had she ever seen so many men in one place before? Leosta must need an large guard to cover the entire palace, considering that it was much larger than the castle in Prana. A shiver ran down Flora's spine as she had the thought, if this was only their palace guards, how mighty would their military strength be? She didn't want to add any fuel to the fire between Prana and Leosta if this is how large they were.

Because she had be zoning out, Flora didn't notice that a few of the men had stopped training and were staring in her direction. Well, they might as well have been gawking at her. It made sense though why they would be confused. Why would a woman come to the training fields to watch them? The more whispers that drifted passed her, the more she began to feel anxious about her judgment. Again, she wondered if this was really a good idea. What exactly was her plan? Shit, she should have thought this out much more before coming here.

A tall man, with a sweat drenched tunic sauntered up to Flora. Behind him, she saw his friends cheering him on as he said to Flora in a self-assured voice, "vhat are you doing here lil' lady?" Flora looked at the man up and down, unimpressed. It seemed like he had much more muscle than he did brains. The guard cocked a half smile as he spoke again in his thick accent, "vhat is a pretty thing like you doing out here? Did you come for the view?" He smiled as if he was being witty, but again, Flora was unaffected by whatever he thought was suave. What kind of view did he think he was referring to, because all Flora saw was a stinking pile of idiocy.

Unable to stop herself, Flora rolled her eyes with a sigh. She straightened her back and looked at the brute under her eyebrows, making sure he saw her distaste. "I am looking for Prince Andrei. I heard that he trains here in the morning." Flora made sure that her voice was nothing but bland. She still didn't trust men like this after what happened a few months back.

The guard's attitude instantly changed. "Vhat makes you think you have the right to see his highness." The man seemed defensive as he scowled at her, almost like a dog protecting his owner. "His highness is very busy and doesn't have time for girly nonsense, so I think you should leave."

He made to turn around, but was stopped by a firm slap on his shoulder blade. Flora had seen guards and soldiers roughhousing before, but that hit seemed to harsh to be a friendly tap. Prince Andrei walked around the guard, his hand still gripping his shoulder firmly. The prince narrowed his eyes as he asked in a cool tone, "what are you doing here princess?" The guard next to Prince Andrei's face turned sheet white. He obviously didn't know who he was talking too.

Flora lifted her chin, gathering what little confidence she had. She paused as she tried to think of something to get the prince to spend time with her, landing on, "I wanted to see how you spend your time, and if your highness might have lunch with me." Flora bit her cheek as she waited the agonized seconds it took for Andrei to respond.

The prince looked down at her, disinterested as he responded with an outstretched arm, "well, this is what I do princess. Is it entertaining enough for you?" Prince Andrei seemed thoroughly bothered that she would come here while he was practicing. Yet, he still had a vice grip on the guard from before, who looked like he was unsuccessfully trying to escape, frozen in place by the prince.

She tried to act like she was shrugging off his brittle words, but when she spoke, it came out softer than she had intended. "Entertaining isn't the word I would use your highness, but I thought it would be nice to see what my future husband does to fill his time." She had to make sure she never talked like there was any other option than this marriage. Realistically, there wasn't. Flora needed this engagement to succeed as much for herself as for Prana.

If possible, the guard next to Prince Andrei, turned even paler. How could he have known that the girl in front of him was the prince's fiancé? Prince Andrei locked his jaw, clearly holding back a retort. He probably didn't want to say anything in front of the men around him that could put him in a compromising position, but Flora knew what he was thinking, 'there is no way I am marrying you'. Instead he plastered on his snide smile and asserted, "unfortunately princess, I am much too busy to accompany you to lunch. I have to check on my companions in the back tower."

Companions? A warning flashed through her mind at that moment. Flora had never considered that the prince would have interests in other women. What if he was in a relationship with someone living here in the palace? Or, even worse, what if he waltzed from woman to woman without a care in the world? Flora couldn't hide the anger bubbling up inside of her at the idea of it all. Prince Andrei was engaged, and he should act like it. A viscous smile formed on Flora as she quipped, "hmm, I didn't plan on taking a trip to that tower today, but I guess it can't be helped."

Anger sparked in the prince's eyes, the left one twitching slightly. A nasty smile to match Flora's covered Prince Andrei's face as he retorted, "and what makes you think you are invited princess?" The guard next to him slowly slinked backwards as he looked at the prince and then the princess and back again.

Prince Andrei was clearly more than annoyed at her, but Flora was undeterred. "Because I invited myself your highness." She folded her arms, indicating that she was not giving up on this. "It's best for others to know that we are engaged."

"In theory only," Andrei growled, low enough so others wouldn't hear. "I don't need a self-indulgent princess getting in my way."

"Then I won't." Flora didn't drop her gaze, staring fiercely at him before she added harshly, "your highness."

The prince glanced back at the men training behind him, well the men pretending to train behind him, and then back at Flora. He glared at her as he ground out, "fine, then tag along princess, but don't complain if you can't make it up the stairs before I leave you behind."

Glaring right back at him, Flora huffed, "I may not be a soldier, but I'm not some pathetic weakling."